The FBI: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Enforcement Agency

by Ronald Kessler

Book Overview

Ronald Kessler, an investigator reporter who has worked for the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, researched deep within the FBI to produce one of the most thorough looks ever at the agency.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671786571
• ISBN13: 9780671786571
• Release Date: October 1993
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 492 Pages
• Weight: 1.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read

If you want to know about what the FBI does, this is a must read. Ronald Kessler is an award-winning journalist and he does an excellent job of taking the reader inside the most powerful law enforcement agency on earth. Kessler was granted extraordinary access to the FBI and he does a masterful job of revealing the way the FBI works. Forget what you see on television and in movies; this book provides a real look at this cryptic agency.Some of the findings during Kessler's "investigation" even led to the dismissal of FBI Director William S. Sessions.Though this book was published in 1993, I feel it is a must read for anybody who wants insight into the real FBI. It is also a great book for potential FBI candidates.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Average But Fair

This is another around the world in 8 days tour of an American institution by Kessler. The author is presenting a book that is billed as basically an overview of the FBI as it is today with some history through in to give it some background and a few real life cases peppered through out the book for spice. The author has always done a good job in these large overview books and he has maintained that level here. He has been working with contacts from this agency for years so there is some interesting inside info that will be new to the reader, but a lot of the really interesting stuff has been spelled out in an number of other books or TV programs. The book is a well written and constructed story with a good road map though the years and departments. The reader does not get lost in a jumble of department abbreviations. A good overview book that is probably what most readers are looking for.

Excellent book about the premier law enforcement agency

This is an excellent book about the recent history of the FBI and a good look at how the FBI operates. Kessler not only praises the FBI when it is warranted, but he also critiques it and exposes some problems. The book alternates chapters between looking at various field offices; ie Baltimore, Dallas, and others; with a look at the various departments within the agency; ie criminal profiling. It is informative, easy to read, and fun. If you want a look inside the FBI, read this book.

An excellent book for FBI applicants

This is an excellent well-written book covering various aspects of the FBI. As a law enforcment officer, this book has enlightened me to apply to the FBI. They are a remarkable organization making grand changes in law enforcement nationwide. This book is recommended to anyone in law enforement. Once you read this, you'll want to be an FBI agent.

A fair, balanced, and unbiased review of the modern FBI.

When reading books on law enforcement, one has to be careful to avoid those which only glorify an agency, or only villify it. Mr. Kessler was granted an unmatched access to FBI agents for writing this book, and has chronicled the many successes of the agency, as well as some of its most public embarrasements.He pulls no punches when describing the shortcomings of agents and past fiascos, he names names and assigns blame. The final chapter of the book goes into detail about the previous director, William Sessions, his successes certainly, but also the abuses that he uncovered during the research of his book. His revelations led to Sessions' firing.He describes with a great deal of detail the workings of the agency on the street level, in the field offices, and at headquarters. One gets a good look at policies, procedures, training, and special ops. But most especially, he talks about real agents, men and women who deserve our respect for the jobs they perform.! The human interest in this book is very good, making it an easy book to read, and leaving one with a sense that the FBI is in fact the greatest law enforcement agency in the world.